- The position has remained unfilled since 2025
US President Donald Trumphas revealed his choice for the upcoming American ambassador to Australia over a year since the Republican leader’s return to the positionWhite House.
Former VirginiaCongressman David Brat has been proposed for the ambassador position, which has remained unfilled since 2024.
Mr. Brat advocated for Virginia’s seventh districtcongressional district in the US House of Representatives for the Republicans.
He was initially elected in 2014 and completed two terms prior to losing his position in 2018.
The role of the ambassador has not been confirmed yet, as the appointment must be approved by the US.Senate.
If he is chosen, Mr. Brat will take over from Caroline Kennedy as the ambassador to Australia.
In the meantime, career diplomat Erika Olson has been acting as chargé d’affaires since Kennedy left the position.
Ms. Kennedy, the sole remaining child of former Democratic president John F. Kennedy, was nominated during the Biden administration.
Brat is now a senior vice president overseeing business relations at Liberty University in Virginia, after having previously held the position of dean of the business school.
Trump supported Brat during his 2018 congressional campaign, openly referring to him as ‘a strong vote for MAGA’.
During his initial term, Trump kept the position of Australian ambassador vacant for nearly two years before appointing someone in 2019.
He eventually selected Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr., a veteran Republican strategist who had worked as an advisor to Ronald Reagan.
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